Monthly Archives: August 2011

I’ve been wondering how Elly Griffiths would manage expanding the Ruth Galloway series. I really liked her two earlier books, The Crossing Places and The Janus Stone but as I’ve written over and over again here, maintaining the momentum in … Continue reading →

It’s very clear from April Smith’s White Shotgun that she’s a talented writer with a gift for plot, setting, and character. It was thus interesting – and a little disappointing – to learn from her preceding novel Judas Horse that … Continue reading →

Just got back from a 12 noon showing of “The Help” in Southern California and it’s taking me some time to blink my way back to reality. Yes, it’s sentimental, but so was the book. In fact the movie, a … Continue reading →

“Knowing that everything comes to an end is a gift of experience, a consolation gift for knowing that we ourselves are coming to an end. Before we get it we live in a continuous present, and imagine the future as … Continue reading →

It’s always a little worrisome to read the second book in a series when you’ve really been impressed by the first one. I loved The Crossing Places: it has a terrific setting and characters in addition to being well written … Continue reading →

So – why shouldn’t a mystery writer be allowed to break out of the mold a little bit? Or, wait, let’s put this another way: must a mystery writer’s production always have an eye to the market? Well, we live in … Continue reading →